Aqsa Imtiaz and Abdul Rehman*

Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of the Punjab, New Campus, Lahore 54590, Pakistan

* Corresponding author: rehman_mmg@yahoo.com

ABSTRACT

The present study aim was to isolate keratinolytic bacteria from the soil contaminated with poultry waste. From amongst nine bacterial keratinase producing isolates were found. The BML5 isolate was identified as Bacillus subtilis based on biochemical characterization and 16S rRNA Ribotyping. B.subtilis BML5 showed maximal keratinase activity at 37°C and at pH 8. An increase in keratinase activity of B.subtilis BML5 was determined in the presence of Ca2+, Mg2+, and Zn2+ while keratinase activity was inhibited by added copper ions. A 130-kDa protein was detected from feather-treated bacterial cells, suggesting its role in degrading feather. B.subtilis BML5 can be used to overcome the poultry wastes based environmental pollution and keratinase could be used to improve feather meal digestibility in animal feed as an additive.